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Saturday, February 16, 2013

You're Retired From Valentine's Day, Charlie Brown!

This week, I officially became the child of two retired parents. (I feel so old!) On Tuesday, to celebrate my mom escaping...I mean, exiting...the workforce, a limo picked our family up and took us to dinner at the Madonna Inn.

Isaiah loved sitting at the back of the "big car" in his carseat, where he could see all of our faces the entire time.

And congratulations, Momma!!!

On Valentine's Day, we had a potluck dinner at our house for friends and family. Appellation Bluegrass Band (featuring JoanMarie!), played in our living room.

The band usually plays in a pub, so Isaiah and I don't get to see them perform very often. It's not that I can't go into a pub, I'm just usually watching Isaiah during the gigs. (But that's awesome that you thought I might be under 21! Unfortunately, like I said, both of my parents are retired.)

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On Saturday, JoanMarie and I went to a local production of God Sees Dog: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead at The SPOT. If you've followed this blog for a while, or heard me give an author talk, you may already know what a huge Peanuts fan I am. This play imagines what might happen to the Peanuts gang when they reach high school. There are definite reasons the writer had to come up with creative ways to avoid actual character names from the comic strip. With swearing, substance abuse, sex, and suicide (four Ss the Snoopy gang managed to avoid), I'm sure the estate of Charles Schulz wanted to stay away from endorsing this. And as a Peanuts aficionado, I was nervous.

But because the theater owner (and this show's director), Jake Liam McGuire, personally invited us, and because I love supporting local arts, I almost had to go.

And now for the verdict...

The acting was wonderful! Everyone was so natural and perfect in their roles. And while it was unnerving to see what becomes of this version of the Peanuts gang (which is totally not what really happens!), if I pretended it was a play about teens I didn't know, it was intense and sad and funny. But how was it if I couldn't let go of the fact that I will always be a Peanuthead? It was still sad, and also darkly funny because of in-jokes, but at the very very end, it becomes astoundingly beautiful!

It was great to meet you, Jake! We can't wait to check out your next show.